Target Practice: Tracking opportunities in Patriots passing game

Targets have been compiled by the NFL since the start of the 2009 season, and while it remains an imperfect stat ‘ a badly thrown ball from a quarterback can often go against the record of the receiver as opposed to the quarterback ‘ it remains a good indication of the confidence level a passer might have in his pass catcher. Here’s a look at the target breakdown for the New England passing game through the first three weeks of the 2012 regular season: